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Illegal parking at Caney Creek Falls entrance means being towed

Friday, February 8, 2019 - 3:22:22 PM

Warning signs have recently been posted at the entrance site to Caney Creek Falls off County Road 2. This is due to a safety situation because there is not enough parking space nearby. Vehicles will be towed if parked illegally effective Saturday, Feb. 9.

ASHRIDGE - The Winston County Sheriff’s Office is combating a safety issue and issued a public service announcement concerning the parking issue at the entrance to Caney Creek Falls.

Vehicles will now be towed if parked on the right of way of County Road 2.

“Effective this Saturday, Feb. 9th, we will begin towing vehicles that are illegally parked on County Road 2,” the statement read. “A lot of people park on the roadside in this area to hike/visit Caney Creek Falls. This has created a serious problem. So as a result, we are now forced to take this measure. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter. There is a very small designated parking area that has been made by the forest service. When that area becomes full there is no other legal parking. We have made attempts to work with the forest service to add additional parking. However, there is quite a bit of red tape involved in that process. We are sorry for the inconvenience this causes, but it is a matter of safety.”

“They park on both sides of the road, they park partially in the road. That’s a small county road,” Chief Deputy Bryan Kirkpatrick said. “It’s hard for two cars to meet right there. It’s a safety issue, is what it is. The visitors leave their trash and park on private property.”

U.S. Forest officials cannot simply create a parking area at the entrance for several reasons, including the right-of-way belonging to the county and the first portion of the trail at the entrance being private property.

“We are working on trying to come up on a long-term solution,” District Ranger Andy Scott said in 2018. “There’s a number of options and possibilities, and we’re looking into all those,” Scott explained.